SC²S Colloquium - November 06, 2013

Date:	November 6, 2013
Room:	02.07.023
Time:	3 pm, s.t.

Leonhard Spiegelberg: Ocean Circulation Studies in the Labrador Sea

The Labrador Sea is a U-shaped basin located between Greenland and Canada. Comprising the West Greenland Current and the Labrador Current it serves as an important source of freshwater for the Atlantic. Measurements taken by Hall et al. in the Labrador Sea suggest that there could be another important current at the bottom of the ocean running through a channel named NAMOC(North Atlantic Mid-Ocean Channel). In this thesis a former numerical experiment, which is based on the NEMO model, has been altered by using a different input bathymetry to test if the observations of Hall et. al. can be reproduced. To create a new input bathymetry, various filtering/interpolation methods have been applied and investigated. In order to compare the quality of the produced bathymetries, two norms have been developed and implemented. Using different interpolation methods and data sources two experiments have been run. Though most features of the previous run have resembled the conducted experiments, a distinct flow at the bottom of the ocean could not be detected.

In conclusion, the current through the NAMOC at the bottom of the ocean observed by Hall et al. could not be shown by a numerical experiment. Thus, it is strongly recommended to perform further experiments with improved bathymetries at a higher resolution.